1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to dehumidifiers for removing moisture from the surrounding atmosphere; and, more particularly, to an adjustable float for a dehumidifier that provides for setting the liquid level at which the dehumidifier turns off to control the volume of liquid retained by the dehumidifier.
2. Description of the Related Art
Dehumidifiers are a well known household appliance used to remove moisture from the atmosphere. A typical household dehumidifier will comprise a cabinet in which a refrigeration system is disposed. The refrigeration system removes moisture from the air by condensing the moisture on the cooled evaporator coils of the refrigeration system. The moisture is typically collected in a retainer or bucket that is disposed beneath the cooled evaporator coils to catch the moisture as it drips from the evaporator coils.
Typically, some type of sensor is used to measure the level of liquid collected in the bucket to turn off the refrigeration system of the dehumidifier when the liquid reaches an appropriate level to prevent the overflow of the liquid within the bucket. In previous dehumnidifiers, a common practice is to provide a float within the bucket that rises with the level of the liquid and actuates a switch controlling power to the refrigeration system to turn off the refrigeration system once the liquid level reaches a predetermined height. One disadvantage of this class of dehumidifiers is that the sensor typically does not shut off the refrigeration system until the bucket is substantially full and does not provide any means for adjusting the liquid level at which the power to the refrigeration system has turned off, resulting in many users spilling the liquid from the bucket as they remove the bucket from the dehumidifier for draining and, some users, particularly the elderly, find the full bucket too heavy to easily and safely to remove and carry to drain the bucket.
Some previous dehumidifiers have attempted to provide for adjusting the liquid level at which the refrigeration system is turned off. Typically, these dehumidifiers incorporated a bucket whose upper rim was pivotally mounted to an exterior surface of the cabinet and whose lower portion rested against a spring mounted to the exterior of the cabinet. The spring provided an opposing force to the pivoting weight of the bucket to initially keep the bucket a predetermined distance from a switch controlling the refrigeration system. As the bucket filled with water, the bucket applied a force to the spring greater than the spring, permitting the bucket to contact the switch and turn off the power to the refrigeration system. To adjust the liquid level with these types of systems, the distance the spring extended from the cabinet was adjusted or the amount of spring force was adjusted.
Although these types of liquid level systems generally performed satisfactorily, they needlessly add another component, the spring, to the dehumidifier. The addition of the extra component results in extra costs during manufacturing and in the storing of additional parts. Also, some of the previous liquid level adjustment systems required a tool to adjust the spring tension. It is desirable to provide a dehumidifier that has an adjustable liquid level without the need for the addition of extra parts and to provide greater ease for the user in adjusting the liquid level shut off.